A redemption contract

Warning: This fanfiction contains sexual relations between pokémons. You are warned and chose to continue.

In a medieval world where pokémons can speak but are considered inferior to humans, we follow a Lucario and a Charizard facing a dire situation. Will they get reunited or will the required cost be too hard to bear? A Feraligatr and a Keldeo will hopefully tag along, and maybe they'll help to figure it out.

This story is a bit overly dramatic but the ending is not depressing. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Two guards came for Thomas, pointing their spear at him threateningly. The Lucario didn't fight, mainly because he was in a profound despair, but also because he had called the town's man-at-arms himself. What happened was that his best friend Matthew had been arrested a fortnight before, and the Charizard's sentence just had been made public. Next Sunday… He would be executed. Thomas felt nauseous at the thought. The Lucario's world was collapsing into bitter sadness, but nothing could be done since the dragon pokémon was indeed guilty, Thomas having witnessed everything in person.

Two weeks before, him and Matthew were staying the night at a local inn in the town of Greystone. That was something daring for pokémons in a human-dominated society, but Thomas and Matthew had money, earned from honest work for the lord of a nearby fief. It was rare for pokémons to be treated decently, and even more rare for them to be paid the same as humans. But this lord had been in need of strong manpower to raise fortified walls, and he had little time to spare. That was how Thomas and Matthew found themselves with enough money to spend the night in a real bed, and not in stables like they had been doing during the last five years.

They met no welcoming faces in the inn, but once they proved they had enough to pay the tavern keeper allowed them to sit. Well, more specifically he asked the men that were complaining if they wanted to pay their next ale double its price for him to refuse to serve pokémons. Since none volunteered, it somehow counted as a win. The room occupying the ground level was a dining room with a sticky floor and a weird smell, which didn't spell anything good for the room they would spend the night into. Nevertheless, it satisfied the two pokémons who had learned a long time ago to not turn down a half-victory.

They ate and drank, maybe more than what was reasonable in a hostile environment. But that night the two pokémons felt like kings, pushing them to order more drinks to prove that they were equals to the humans. During that night words were exchanged with other customers, and not friendly ones. At some point the tension escalated rapidly, but Thomas had been too drunk to pay attention to the auras burning with hate. Matthew suddenly stood up in front of a drunken man who had came to their table to insult them. The Charizard was just a little bit smaller than the humans, but still he was a fire-breathing dragon and the alcohol made him scared of nothing. The man felt threatened and pulled out a knife, instantly turning the confrontation into a melee to gain control of the blade. Thomas was not anywhere near the size or the weight required to jump between an enraged Charizard and an armed man, but now he wished he had done it so that it would be him in place of Matthew.

Everything went down so fast, but in the end Matthew received only a wound to the arm while the man fell backwards and hit the back of his neck against a bench. That's all it took, and he never woke up. The entire group of humans surged with hate, panic and rage, and at that moment Thomas thought they were going to be lynched by the mob. Fortunately the guards were quick to arrive, alerted by the cries and probably not stationed very far since they knew pokémons had showed up in town. They did listen to Matthew's version of the events, but it was clear that they considered the Charizard at the root of the problem since he had been the one to decide to spend the night at the inn.

Matthew was locked up for the night until he sobered up and the trial began the next day. It took into account the fact that the man had pulled out a weapon, but this was counterbalanced by the rule that considered pokémons armed at all times, due to their special abilities. Moreover Matthew was deemed more drunk that the human, an aggravating circumstance that made his crime not count as accidental. Thomas didn't found the judgement fair, but the Charizard had so much remorse he recognised his guilt to the family of the defunct. He was put in jail while the lord ruling over Greystone and the rest of the region was messaged to determine the sentence. During the two weeks that followed, Thomas never received permission to visit his friend, and when he found out about the execution the Lucario's heart almost fully stopped from shock.

Thomas couldn't accept that this would be the end. He needed to talk to Matthew, to convince him that it wasn't his fault before it was too late! Ironically, the only thing Thomas could do to see Matthew was to get arrested himself, so that he could a least see the Charizard before the unimaginable. Matthew had followed the law his entire life, so the wine he stole had a bitter taste despite being the most expensive drink he ever had. From inside the merchant's warehouse he had broken into, Thomas made enough noise so that he would be sure to be discovered. He drank enough to have his breath smell like alcohol, making sure that the guards wouldn't be suspicious of his plan, and poured another entire bottle down the drain. There was some truth when Thomas explained that he was drinking his sorrow away, and the guards decided to arrest him for his misdemeanour. He was going to jail immediately, until he would sober up and be judged.

The two guards had pointed their spears at Thomas because that was the rule for any offence committed by a pokémon, but soon they lowered their weapons since the Lucario was cooperative. Thomas was handcuffed behind his back with heavy iron wristbands, and then escorted out of the warehouse. A third guard went upstairs to find the probably already awoken merchant, and Thomas was told that his purse would be confiscated to reimburse what he had consumed. Then they went to the town's castle, where the jail had been dug underground two centuries before. It was dark, wet and more unfortunately absolutely inescapable. This had been a plan for Thomas for the time of a thought, but the Lucario could never have fought off dozens of soldiers alone. He also knew that Matthew would never have accepted to run away from his sin, the Charizard being a honest and truly good person.

Fate gave Thomas a hint of compassion: He had hoped to speak to the Charizard through a closed door, maybe for a minute while he passed by, but he found himself in the exact same cell as him. Matthew looked miserable and it made Thomas' heart sank. The Charizard was chained to the wall through a large collar around his neck, and his wings were shut closed by a long chain wrapped multiple times around them. Worse of all was the flame at the end of Matthew's tail, so small it emitted less light than the guards' torches. His aura was filled with sadness and remorse, and his face looked down at the cobblestone floor with an empty stare.

Thomas was chained to the opposite wall, also receiving a heavy collar appropriately sized to his neck. His wrists were freed and Thomas rubbed his painful fur, then sat and acted dazed by alcohol as an excuse to why he didn't react to Matthew's presence. The truth was that Thomas was barely holding back his tears, the Lucario suddenly overwhelmed since he realised he couldn't find words to reassure his friend. The guards paid no attention to Thomas' distress, and they left the cell before locking a reinforced wooden door behind them. Matthew and Thomas would have been in pitch black if not for the Charizard's dim flame, which was projecting enough light to see once Thomas got accustomed.

It took an immense effort for the Lucario to pronounce his friend's name. He had done everything to get there, but now he realised how stupid he had been since he brought only more sadness with him. Matthew raised his head slowly, not recognising Thomas at first, but suddenly his eyes sparked with a regained spirit. "Thomas?" He asked with hesitation. He realised that he wasn't dreaming, and he stumbled to get up. Thomas did the same, his thoughts of giving up erased by the sight of the Charizard he loved so much. The two pokémons ran to each other, their chains rattling behind them trying to remind them of the dire situation without success.

Suddenly, Thomas' collar was brutally pulled backwards and strangled him painfully. Matthew went through the same, as neither of their chains allowed them to reach the other. Thomas forced himself to calm down and kneeled facing Matthew, who was looking behind him to see if he could get one more centimeter. "Matthew! Matthew!" Called Thomas with, this time, tears of joy. The Charizard turned around with the same wet eyes, extending one arm towards Thomas' with the hope of touching hands. For the two pokémons it was a torture to be physically separated in such a manner, because they were not only best friends but also lovers.

Thomas cursed the gods out loud for imposing such a bitter reality on them, but Matthew came up with a solution. He turned sideways and moved his tail, reaching further than what his species' short arms could do. Thomas usually joked that he disliked the flaming tail, because the open fire reminded him of his type's weakness, but today he was glad to have it in reach. He grabbed the end of the Charizard's tail with both hands, laying it on his laps with the dangerous part out of the way. The dragon pokémon had soft scales that pulsed ever so slightly with each of his heartbeat, and that intimate contact soon to be gone forever broke the thin thread of hope Thomas had felt for an instant.

"I don't know what to say," murmured the Lucario with tears running down his cheeks.

Matthew sat down but remained sideways, to not pull off his tail from the distressed Lucario.

"Now that you're here, everything is alright, Thomas," said Matthew with a calm and sincere voice.

Thomas broke down hearing the strength of Matthew's resolution, and he also felt angry at himself to be the one that required consolation.

"Talk to me, Thomas. I love you with all my heart, and I'm so grateful we can be together again. But I'm worried Thomas, tell me you didn't do anything wrong to get here?"

Thomas could hear Matthew's voice trembling, the Charizard desperately afraid that Thomas had sought revenge against the humans and had committed the unspeakable.

"Nothing bad, it was just a little thievery," said Thomas with a nervous laugh.

The Charizard looked surprised, but it was for the best.

"So, sir Thomas of the Ironbark House has already devolved to petty crime? You really let yourself loose since I've been gone."

Thomas laughed at the joke with a real smile. Like always, Matthew could bring back joy in him even in the worse situations. The Lucario rubbed his tears off with his paws and took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. Matthew was helping to push back his terrorising thoughts about the future, yet it couldn't be left fully unaddressed.

"What's going to happen, Matthew? I'm so afraid," said Thomas without hiding his dread.

"My fate has been decided," said Matthew while staring at the ground. He then raised his eyes into Thomas' to continue. "Yours, not yet. You have a long and happy life in front of you, Thomas, and you must carry on."

"But I can't live without you!" Screamed Thomas with all the fear built up in him. It was loud enough that Matthew looked around, hoping that they didn't rise alarm. The Charizard was heartbroken that he couldn't take the Lucario into his arms, even just for an instant. Thomas collapsed on Matthew's tail to hug it in despair, since it was all he had.

"You'll have to," said Matthew with a voice that cracked. "I forgive you from ruining your life all because of me, you understand?"

Thomas nodded weakly with his forehead against the Charizard's tail, that was all he could muster for now. The two pokémons stopped speaking for a minute, listening to each other's breath.

"Why can't we live happily together?" Finally asked Thomas, without hoping for an answer. "Why can't we have another chance?"

"I don't know," answered Matthew. There was nothing he could say to make the future better, so he decided to change subject. The Charizard listed all the good times him and Thomas shared, all the places they visited, all the good people they met. It helped Thomas to fill with all the happiness they had created together, and at some point the Lucario relaxed enough to fall asleep, still holding Matthew's tail tightly. The Charizard smiled at the sight and felt satisfied with the precious life he had been given. He very carefully lied down on his stomach, to not disturb the sleep of the Lucario. Soon he would be gone, but first he would spend a few more days with his love, the best last moment he could ever have wished for.

Thomas opened his eyes slowly, getting accustomed to the now well lighted-up jail cell. Three days had passed, and Matthew's flame had regained its lost strength. It projected a hot and comforting orange glow that defeated the gloomy ambiance of the underground room. It was a squared cell directly dug into the bedrock, and afterwards they had paved the floor flat with cobblestones. Three walls held chained collars of various sizes, showing that this part of the prison was designed for pokémons, and the fourth one only beared the heavy reinforced door. Outside, a corridor also dug into the rock linked the cells to the prison entrance at the surface.

Thomas was on his side of the cell, against the wall where his chain was anchored. The Lucario and the Charizard had decided to avoid being caught close to each other, to keep their secret safe. The last thing they needed was to be separated, again.

There was something that bothered Thomas, but he couldn't put his finger on what. There was Matthew's execution of course, but the Lucario had enclosed that thought in a mental box and thrown the key away. It was maybe that they had grown sick, from the little food and dirty water they were given. No, it was something else. An aura. Or multiple auras, actually. Fearful auras, from humans nearby the cell. Not prisoners, whose resignation was easy to identify, but auras from the guards themselves. It was quite strange indeed, what could they be scared of?

A single, low-pitched vibration suddenly resonated in the cell. It made dust fall from the raw ceiling, which proved that it wasn't only in Thomas' mind. The Lucario slowly rose on his feet, not decided to wake up Matthew yet because the Charizard had enough trouble sleeping already. Out of nowhere, a human aura turned into absolute terror, then into immense pain before instantly stopping to exist. Thomas' eyes went wide, and he called Matthew's name with a firm voice. By the time the Charizard had woken up and realised that something was wrong, four more human auras had vanished with the same violence.

"Something's coming," said Thomas while staring blankly at the door, immersed in the field of auras dancing around their location. The Lucario was trying to focus on a weird entity that preceded each guard's horrible death, some kind of emptiness in the fabric of emotions. It could be described as a perfectly black stain, carrying little spots of emotions for a few seconds each. Anger, violence, amusement, cruelty, joy, an incompatible mix that confused Thomas. This powerful aura went to the cell next door, and the ground shaking that followed could only mean one thing: The creature had broken into the room by force.

"He's here," warned Thomas as the entity now approached their cell's reinforced door. Matthew had learned a long time ago to stop asking questions like "who?" or "what?", because that was something that Thomas couldn't tell. But when the Lucario predicted an upcoming danger, Matthew knew that is was always a serious case. The unknown aura stopped in front of the door. Thomas closed his fists and readied to attack when the door would open, even if it was certainly hopeless since both him and Matthew were chained and weakened by hunger. Suddenly, the whole wooden panel exploded into a million pieces. Thomas was blinded by a massive cloud of steam that filled the room with opaque fog, but he could feel that the creature had entered the cell. Liquid water rushed to Thomas' feet, making him shiver from its sharp coldness. The creature was absolutely gigantic: It walked on two feet but couldn't stand properly in the room, even if the ceiling was more than two meters high. This made the creature bend his neck forward in a creepy position, the whole thing made even more supernatural by the non-dissipating fog.

"Whoever you are, stay back!" Launched Matthew from the other side of the cell, hoping to get the intruder's attention away from Thomas.

"Who, me?" Asked the creature with a surprised voice, suddenly turning around to check if Matthew spoke to another behind him.

The fog magically evaporated, and Thomas discovered the identity of the newcomer with astonishment. It was a Feraligatr, of a perfectly normal size for his always tall species. His fist was engulfed by a sphere of water that defied gravity, from the Waterfall attack he had used on the door. The only thing actually out of the ordinary was his still unreadable aura, but this was simply because the new pokémon was of an extremely high level, definitely over ninety. Thomas was sitting on a decent forty-something, and the more experienced Matthew had reached the level sixty-five, but this Feraligatr was simply a one-in-a-lifetime encounter.

The giant crocodile looked surprised to find pokémons and not humans in this cell, but some shouting behind him brought everyone back to business.

"So, hum, should I free you?" Asked the Feraligatr with misplaced amusement. "I'm here to rescue one of our kind, so I might as well help you if you're in need."

Both Matthew and Thomas answered at the same time, but not with the same word. The Lucario had said yes, in full understanding of what the crocodile had done to get there, but the occasion was too fateful to pass. Matthew had instead refused, and now Thomas looked at him in shock while the Charizard tried to avoid his sight.

"Okay, I feel like you're not on the same page here," laughed the Feraligatr. "I think you two need to have a serious talk. Farewell!"

Under Thomas' petrified eyes, the crocodile turned around and left running. Thomas shouted at him and begged him to come back, but it resonated in the emptied corridor. The Lucario felt overwhelmed by anger, anger turned against Matthew whose decision had condemned him a second time.

"Why?" Asked Thomas with rage. "Why couldn't he?"

"I have to pay for my crime!" Shouted Matthew, devastated by the hate from the one he loved. "Please don't tempt me, please!" He added with a broken voice. The Charizard would have given his soul for one more day with Thomas, but not in such a way. Each one of those stolen seconds he would have been teared apart by his remorse and guilt, leaving only an empty shell for Thomas to mourn. Matthew couldn't accept it.

Suddenly, a terrifying growl sent a shiver down the spine of both the chained pokémons. The rumbling noise of a huge amount of water rushing down the corridor made the walls tremble. The liquid started to run into the cell at an alarming rate, until the full wave suddenly passed in front of the doorway and released part of its volume into the cell. It reached a meter high, this new major concern making Thomas fear for his life. While Matthew could keep his flaming tail out of reach easily, the Lucario had only his head left out of the water due to his species' limited size. The Charizard shouted Thomas' name and pulled on his chains with despair, unable to come to the Lucario's rescue with what length he had. Thomas tried but he didn't know how to swim, and both to his steel type and his heavy iron collar were bringing him down. The Lucario took a panicked breath. What if another wave came through?

His fear became truth as he heard the Feraligatr growl again. Despite Matthew's calls the pokémon had launched another Surf attack, and the noise of the water indicated that it was coming fast. "Matthew!" Screamed Thomas in panic. The Charizard knew the consequences of the incoming water, and even if it was useless he still pulled on his chains and got choked trying to come to the Lucario. The cold water suddenly submerged Thomas' head before he could take another breath. The powerful current immediately pulled him off the wall and Thomas got hit against the floor, the impact making him lose a trail of previous bubbles as he opened his mouth. Oxygen depleted fast in his state of panic, and all he could hear underwater were Matthew's muffled calls.

In the next three seconds, something formidable happened: A four-legged pokémon entered the room at full gallop while also being fully immersed, and the water level immediately lowered at an impossible rate. Thomas took a ragged breath of fresh air and coughed painfully, finding himself sat on the ground from the violent current that had been there just before. One the other side of the cell, Matthew was simply too dumbfounded to thank the second newcomer. No mistake was possible: It was a Keldeo, a mythical pokémon from an extremely rare species. This one was even in his Resolute form, his blue armored horn indicating that he had spent his life training for dueling.

"Ah, shit." Said the Feraligatr when he appeared behind the Keldeo. Visibly, he only realised now that he had nearly killed the two prisoners while fighting the guards.

"Blue!" Shouted the Keldeo with anger directed at his carelessness.

"We don't have time for this!" Exclaimed the Feraligatr without care for the Keldeo's scolding. He ran past the legendary pokémon to go to Thomas, quickly inspecting his collar and chain. The Lucario had flinched due to the sudden approach, but apparently this Feraligatr named "Blue" no longer aimed to assassinate them. Instead he grabbed Thomas' chain with both hands, put his feet directly against the vertical wall and started to pull with an extraordinary force. The metal resisted but not the raw stone, and the feraligatr ripped off a huge block of rock with the chain's anchor in it. Thomas was stunned by the move and even more so when he was gifted the extremely heavy assortment of materials, almost making him stumble over.

Before the Lucario could decide if this weird offering was worthy of thankful words, the giant crocodile had already moved to Matthew. The Charizard exclaimed that he refused to escape prison, but the Keldeo intervened.

"Look, my name is Emmel. What's yours? Matthew? Alright, listen to me: I don't know what you did, but soon hundreds of armed soldiers will enter this prison, and they'll kill any pokémons associated with this Feraligatr over here," he said with a serious tone while pointing at the crocodile with his blue hoof. "He came here to free me, and for that I have to pay the price of all the lives he took. I don't want yours to be added to the list, do you understand? Please come with your friend!"

Matthew didn't know what to think. He wished so much to live, but was it right? The Keldeo looked sincere, and Thomas was also urging him to come with desperate pleas.

The Charizard never found an answer. Blue had decided to not wait for the whole dramatic decision: With a grunt he ripped off a chunk of stone from the wall, even larger than Thomas' since Matthew's chain was adapted to his bigger size. The Charizard's mouth stayed agape and his legs paralysed by indecision. The Feraligatr shouted a curse word and suddenly tackled the dragon pokémon, throwing him over his shoulders with a groan from the difficult effort. Emmel ordered everyone to run, triggering Thomas' instincts to stop thinking and to start to act. The Keldeo opened the way, splashing water around since the corridor was still drenched from Blue's attacks. Next was Thomas, panting heavily but trying his best to hold the rhythm with his encumbered arms. In last the Feraligatr was also panting from his even heavier charge, but yet he was gaining terrain on the Lucario as he jogged energetically.

Whatever Blue did to the guards on his way in had been erased by the water, and Thomas left the corridor without wasting time looking for corpses in the rubble. They climbed a stairs and got into the jail entrance, a large room at ground level where the jail guards stayed days and nights. The escape was through the double front doors, currently opened but sadly barred by a dozen of soldiers armed with spears and crossbows. Emmel didn't stopped, he charged and used a powerful water jet to push them all back at once. Thomas saw that he didn't use lethal force, and even if the men ended up with a good bruise there was none of the raw violence found in Blue's aura.

The Lucario did his best to follow Emmel through the opening, but he had considerably slowed down due to exhaustion. Thomas had not eaten properly in days and the weight of the metal chain added to the stone block was too hard to carry. He stumbled and almost fell, coming to a stop right in the middle of the soldiers getting back up. The Lucario heard an annoyed sigh behind him, and he was suddenly lifted up from the ground. He found himself roughly tucked under the armpit of Blue, the giant crocodile keeping his momentum while swords were swinged just behind him. The Lucario felt his fur being pulled painfully by the Feraligatr's large crude scales, but it was still infinitely better than a spear in the stomach.

As Blue ran Thomas could only see in front of him, and the spectacle left him speechless. Emmel's horn had turned into a sword of blinding blue light, and with the swing of his head he split open a wooden palisade that blocked their way. The tree trunks as thick as Thomas' chest were slashed cleanly, and the unicorn pokémon then jumped over them effortlessly. Blue followed with less elegance and quite more curse words, but to be fair he was not helped by the Charizard held on his shoulders with only one hand now that he had to care for a Lucario as well.

Miraculously, they made it out of the jail's barracks, but now they had to escape the castle's walls and it was not an easy task. There was only one entrance, a wagon-large passage covered by an arch, but an iron grate had been lowered in the way after the soldiers had ringed the alarm bell. Emmel seemed to have a plan nevertheless, and he entered a small unguarded tower that looked inconspicuous. Inside were barrels and shelves of vegetables, but nothing that could be of immediate help. Thomas almost asked what was the idea, but since he was stuck under Blue's arm his input was probably not needed.

It changed as he was let go and landed on the wooden floor, not gently. "Ouch!" He protested to try to signal Blue to be more gentle, but as he had guessed Blue was not really interested in being nice. Matthew was set down with an equivalent lack of care, and he grunted when he hit the ground. Thomas rushed to help his friend back up. "What's your problem?" He then asked the giant crocodile, without fear since he was angered by how Blue had treated Matthew. The Feraligatr chuckled and ran to hold the door closed without a care in the world for Thomas' reaction.

It was Emmel who apologized instead, with an ironic tone clearly aimed directly at the Feraligatr.

"Please excuse my friend, I'm sure it's been a while since he had to pretend to be a decent living being."

"Yeah yeah, whatever the unicorn said," added Blue to prove that he could hear him and felt no shame.

Emmel sighed like it was not the first time this had happened and he gave up. He turned towards Matthew instead.

"Try to stand still, it would be bad if I missed."

The Charizard nodded with a serious face, and he didn't even flinch when Emmel's Sacred Sword lighted up on his horn. The Keldeo took a frighteningly short time to aim and without hesitation he hit very close to Matthew's neck. It caused a blinding explosion of sparks, and when the little smoke disappeared Thomas saw that the padlock had been broken cleanly off from Matthew's collar. The Charizard freed himself by opening the hinged ring and threw everything on the floor with a sigh of relief. The thinner chain around his wings offered even less resistance, and Matthew was once again able to deploy them. It was the first time in weeks, and he showed a grimace from the associated painful cramps. Emmel didn't waste time and turned to Thomas, who felt cold sweat run down his spine. "Wait wait wait!" He tried to gain a second to prepare. But Emmel striked down towards his neck and the Lucario closed his eyes, persuaded that his end was imminent. Fortunately the legendary pokémon was highly precise, and Thomas felt the weight of the chain being lifted from his body when his opened collar fell off.

At that point Matthew spoke to Emmel, because he was convinced that he had been freed only to prepare for the unavoidable battle.

"I won't fight, I don't want to kill anyone." He declared with absolute resolution.

"Good," answered the Keldeo without looking disappointed. "That's not the plan."

Instead of turning to the door, Emmel faced an arrowslit on the opposite wall. It didn't look useful because even Thomas couldn't have slipped through, and like often he was the smaller pokémon here. He looked at Emmel with an interrogative stare, and the legendary pokémon definitely returned what was an attempt at a smug smile. The Keldeo then kicked the narrow opening with both front hooves, and a powerful stream of water surged from his two feet at the moment of the impact. A large section of the wall gave way, sent flying outside the round tower before crashing down far in the distance.

The hole made Thomas realise that this side of the castle was dangerously high in the air, with a wide moat filled by water at the bottom of the fortified wall.

"Can you carry him while flying?" Shouted Emmel to Matthew, trying to cover the noise of the wind rushing in the gutted tower.

"Yes, but he doesn't like it!" Answered the Charizard truthfully.

Thomas hated it, in fact. Since Matthew's scales were small and flat, there was no way of riding on his back without sliding off. It meant that the few times it had happened, the Charizard had to carry Thomas by the armpits. This really awkward position was made even more ridicule because Matthew had to be careful with his claws and couldn't just simply grab the Lucario.

"Is there any other way?" Asked Thomas with resignation.

"You could try to jump, but I've heard that you don't float very well." Said Emmel to try to lighten the mood.

Matthew couldn't hold back a chuckle and he lifted up a very uncooperative Lucario.

"Don't come back for us," said Emmel more seriously. "We can handle ourselves. Listen carefully now, I know a safe place where we can meet up."

Thomas had not realised it on the moment, but with the Keldeo's words he suddenly understood how his life would never be the same. They were evaded prisoners now, and each day would be a struggle to stay alive. The Lucario's head started to spin, hit by all the things that had become too risky to do. Work to earn a living, appear in public places, and all the little joys of life he took for granted. The bitter realisation made him light-headed and he would have stumbled if not for Matthew's embrace, who was about to jump off and couldn't offer more support than that.

Thomas saw the void throw itself at him, but Matthew deployed his wings just after passing the hole in the wall, and suddenly they were flying. Behind them the last thing Thomas saw was the tower's door being flung open by a column of soldiers, and Blue jumping off right behind Emmel. The Lucario closed his eyes, praying that the two pokémons would survive the fall and all the obstacles that remained for them. Maybe Thomas could have helped them, even if Matthew had refused? Anyway, it was too late to turn back now. He put his hand over the Charizard's and held it tightly as they passed over the town. Matthew brought them over the limit of the poorest houses of the city, and soon they landed in a small patch of trees that could provide cover while the Charizard rested for a minute.

They landed a bit roughly, the two pokémons not really used to that kind of travel. Matthew was panting heavily, because even if Thomas was small he still weighed a lot due to his steel type. At first the Lucario let his friend regain his breath with self-imposed patience, but soon he couldn't handle it anymore since he had been waiting for more than two weeks already. He jumped against Matthew's chest with a wagging tail, tears of joy running down his cheeks as he hugged the long neck of the Charizard. Matthew cried too as he crossed his arms behind Thomas to support his weight, and he closed his eyes to take in the precious moment. They exchanged a kiss, in that weird way they had to employ due to their different size of maw, but during that instant all their worries vanished away.

"We have to move," said Matthew with regret after breaking the kiss. Thomas agreed, because sadly they were not out of trouble yet. They needed to reach the safe place described by Emmel, a hidden clearing in the heart of the Dark Forest. Fortunately said forest was "dark" not because of dangers, but simply because the leaves were thick enough to block most of the sunlight. It was currently around noon and to get to the forest would take most of the day, so they was no time to waste. The Lucario was set back on the ground gently by Matthew, and they started to look for a road. It was a dangerous plan but they would get far for the town quicker, and if needed Matthew could always fly them out to safety. Greystone disappeared behind them at a good pace, and the two pokémons walked towards their future with newfound determination, as they would face it together now.

When they finally reached the clearing, they were astonished to find Blue and Emmel already there.

"How is that even possible?" Asked Thomas out loud, stunned.

"I may, or may not, have lost us a few times," recognised Matthew while scratching the beginning of his long neck. Since the Charizard had been the one listening to Emmel's introductions, Thomas had let him lead without thinking twice about it, but maybe he should have paid more attention when they passed that same abandoned barn two times.

"Anyway, you're here, and fortunately without more trouble," rejoiced the Keldeo with relief.

If the two water-typed pokémons had walked less, everyone was tired from the many hours of travel. After reaching the Dark Forest, to get to its core had required a difficult fight with dense foliage and lack of trails. But now they were in the secret clearing and it was perfect for a safe night, so it was agreed to camp here. The opening in the trees offered enough trunk-less room to lie down and even to light a fire, thanks to Matthew's natural talent for such activity. Sadly their comfort remained limited to this and Thomas regretted his satchel and everything it contained, especially money, but of course he couldn't have just asked for it kindly when escaping the jail. At some point they would need to find an income, with the hope of paying for transportation out from the kingdom, but that was an issue for later.

The four pokémons sat around the campfire, Matthew not needing it but politely imitating everyone else. Emmel, who was lying down rather than sitting since he was four-legged, asked Thomas and Matthew why they were jailed for. The Lucario let his friend chose to answer, and unsurprisingly Matthew decided to reveal the truth since he was not the kind to hide behind lies. He spoke with sadness in his voice, but he didn't hesitate on his words. Matthew was harsh towards himself, and Thomas moved over to grab the Charizard's wrist to show his support.

"That wasn't so bad," commented Blue with his habitual sharp smile. "For a moment I believed you were an actual dangerous criminal!"

"Accident or not, I have killed someone," retorted Matthew, unphased by the Feraligatr's joke.

"You're not a criminal, friend," intervened Emmel. "I have met plenty of them, one being at my side at this precise moment," he added before looking at Blue, who faked a reverence. "They are doing it on purpose, because they lack a honest heart. I came from a world very far from here, where what happened to you would have been declared as unfair as that human's tragic end. It was wrong for sure, but being sentenced to death does not let you repay your debt nor prove that you have an honest heat. So I'm asking you, Matthew, do you want to pay for your crime?"

The Charizard nodded without hesitation, and for the first time Thomas saw hope in his friend's eyes.

"Then I hereby sentence you to change people's fate for the better, to help anyone who needs it until you feel you did more good than bad in this world."

"How long- How long will it take?" Asked Matthew, not because he wasn't willing to devote his life to being good, but because he was still violently tortured by his remorse and only wanted it to stop.

"Until you feel it's done. One day you will wake up differently, I promise you. I swore this exact oath myself, as I did something so wrong that it will probably require my entire life to feel fulfilled again."

"Oh come on, you're exaggerating!" Complained Blue, but Thomas didn't understand why. Emmel seemed open to share his life story, so the Lucario spoke honestly and said that he was curious to know.

"I brought him back from death," simply answered Emmel while pointing at the Feraligatr with his hoof. "Blue Tear, a monster that grew in my world and caused so much destruction that even legendary pokémons feared to face him on their own. I was young, stupid and proud, so I hunted him thinking I had a chance. Of course I was vanquished, but worse of all the ones I considered family tried to rescue me and suffered unimaginable consequences when they failed. But after all that suffering, I saw the monster turn his life around in an unmistakable manner. Without anything to gain, he sacrificed himself to save another in a dire situation. At that moment he proved me that he had a heart, and I decided to do everything I could to give him another chance. To my surprise I actually managed to bring him back, by convincing the legendary pokémon Arceus to grant me a thousandth of his power. Blue Tear became simply Blue, but his reputation couldn't be erased that easily. For my act I was rejected by my peers, and they forced us two to leave our world. We moved around a lot actually but he has spent two years without going back to his old ways-"

The Feraligatr interrupted Emmel at that moment.

"But you had the great idea of letting you get captured by a lord that you refused to serve!"

The Keldeo sighed in annoyance.

"Yes, but I could have escaped alone."

Blue chuckled.

"Alone? Chained in an underground cell, with dozens of locked doors between you and the exit, and a whole castle garrison ordered to kill you if you tried to escape slavery? I've taught you well, but please, Emmel, even you couldn't have pulled that one out!"

"I'm glad he came!" Slided in Thomas to remind the Keldeo that Blue had saved more than one pokémon today.

"What does he mean by I've taught you well," asked Matthew out of nowhere. "Didn't you say that he was a terrible being?"

"Ah, that's the funny part," laughed Blue while Emmel looked pale. "You see, at some point I had him under my wing. Something about him getting blinded by my power, if you allow me to guess. I was generous and I made him the best, even better than me at his level. And that was not before he forced me to change!"

"So you actually changed?" Asked Thomas with surprise.

"Don't you get tricked by his cute face, that unicorn is sly," spat Blue like he had been the good guy the whole time. "He made it so that the moment I do something wrong, I'll return to my supposed state."

The Feraligatr pulled out his tongue and made a grimace like a hanged man.

"Wait," thought Thomas out loud. "Doesn't it mean that the only thing that prevents you from destroying our world is this curse, and not your change of heart?"

"Who spoke of destroying the world? I like it here! I would just change a few things. Can a pokémon become a king in this country?"

Emmel decided to change subject before the conversation derailed further than it already had.

"He acts like he's tough, but I've seen him the day he had his change of heart. That was cute, and quite poetic."

Blue grunted and rolled his eyes theatrically, although he couldn't find a snarky remark to deny the story.

"But didn't he commit murders, back at the jail? Why didn't he die, then?" Asked Matthew, who was not convinced by the Feraligatr's reborn innocence.

"Okay, thank you too," grumbled Blue, vexxed.

"Those men were trying to kill him first, but that's only a side point. Also all of this is Arceus' doing, I can't pretend to have planned everything when we made the deal, but hear me out: At the time Blue ignored if attacking the jail would result in his death, yet he came to my rescue anyway. Isn't this a hint that he's no longer who he was before?"

Both Thomas and Matthew had to recognise that it was a good point, but Blue didn't enjoy the attention brought on his good deed.

"Yes, you won this time, good job," he said sarcastically. "But let's go back a second, there's an actual deal with Arceus? Like a paper or something?"

"There's some guidelines in writing yes, and no you're not allowed to read it," added Emmel before Blue could ask. "You'd never guess but Arceus has plenty of offers for when a stupidly optimistic pokémon wants to strike a deal, he just changed a few words from the last resurrected world threat."

Thomas felt this was probably a joke, but worryingly maybe not. Emmel continued:

"It doesn't even exist physically, so for real don't bother about exploring some lost jungle temple. Well, that is if they have jungles here. You just need to know that I can terminate you at all times."

Blue acted violently offended.

"What a cruel term for an innocent soul!"

"Your past has not been magically erased, Blue. If I may remember you, you're still on a journey to redemption."

The Feraligatr sighed, but he was finally defeated.

"Alright, alright, let's get some more redemption," he said with a resigned voice. "Where should we go now? We could try Halfcastle, but I think we're going to be out of coins before we get there."

Thomas felt reassured to see Matthew take part in the discussion. The Charizard was not giving up on life despite its difficulty in the future, and he was filled with determination to help as many people as he could on the way. Thomas knew that his friend would never be the same, but maybe Emmel was right, maybe they could reverse the balance between good and evil. And Matthew would never be alone through this, Thomas promised himself that nothing would separate them ever again.

The night progressed and the planning of the next days died down with the light of the campfire, leaving only embers and Matthew's tail to light up the clearing. The pokémons were now telling stories about their life, where they had grown up and what they dreamed about, except Blue of course, who pretended to enjoy nothing of his second life. But what he did was to add a few jokes here and there, and even if Thomas felt guilty laughing both Emmel and Matthew were joining in and made it less reprehensible. At some point, the Lucario felt cold. Pushed by the good ambiance and the safety he felt amongst his new companions of misfortune, Thomas went for a daring move. He climbed on Matthew's crossed legs to sit there, acting like nothing was out of the ordinary. The Charizard tensed but neither Emmel nor Blue made a remark, too occupied debating about what food they missed from their originating country.

Matthew discreetly put one of his clawed hands on Thomas' right hip. This embrace was weak, but it still felt incredible for Thomas to feel the careful touches of Matthew after all they went through. Thomas' tail was squeezed against the Charizard's stomach and couldn't wag, a fortunate thing because otherwise they would have been found out immediately. The Lucario was barely paying attention to Blue and Emmel. The Feraligatr was speaking of the time when Emmel had been his trainee, and all the amusing mistakes he had made. Emmel was countering by listing everything wrong or useless he had learned, and it was funny to see Blue trying to discard each point with egregiously bad arguments.

In the meantime, Matthew was mindlessly rubbing Thomas' flank while he listened and laughed at the stories, carrying the discussion for the two of them. Fortunately the Charizard had learned to be careful with his claws a long time ago, motivated by Thomas' legitimate complaints, so the Lucario enjoyed the gentle caresses in perfect relaxation.

"And at that moment, this guy here," exclaimed Blue as he hopped closer to Emmel and motioned at the whole pokémon lied down. "He appears out of nowhere and makes the guy drop his wheel of cheese back down the hill!"

Blue bursted out laughing and slapped the back of Emmel's neck in a friendly manner, the four-legged pokémon also joining the crocodile in his laugh. It created a chain reaction that reached both Matthew and Thomas, and the Lucario even teared up imagining the scene.p

Everyone tried to regain their breath and silence fell down on the group, with each pair on a side of the pile of embers. Thomas noticed a detail: Blue had left his hand on Emmel's back. Before the Lucario could focus on this, Matthew wiggled a bit due to discomfort and something suddenly poked Thomas' lower back. Something hot and very recognisable. Thomas' eyes shot wide open, not from being thankful of the wordless compliment but because this was a huge problem. What if the two others saw it? Thomas straightened his back, covering what he could of the Charizard's stomach with his thin upper body. Matthew cleared his voice, trying to signal Thomas to stop grinding his fur against the specific problematic spot. The Charizard put his second hand on Thomas and held both his hips to keep him in place, and he held the Lucario steady while he tried to reposition his body further back.

In the end, all this brushing and rubbing only worsened the situation. Thomas soon felt Matthew's full erection against his back, the large bright red organ not really compatible with stealth. As a dragon pokémon, Matthew had a genital slit that usually kept his thing out of sight, unless of course a dumb and sexy Lucario came over to rub himself all over his scales. Now the slit located in between Matthew's legs had been spread open by his erection, a large tapered muscle with two ovoid spheres fused in its base. Those weren't the pokémon's testicles, kept inside his body and never exposed, and served no purpose except to give the Charizard a good girth, a characteristic appreciated by females of the same species. At the tip of Matthew's penis there was a conical glans with a circle of barbs around it, but fortunately those were more rubber-like than solid and they were not stinging Thomas' back.

Needless to say, Matthew's obnoxious penis would easily get the attention of the two pokémons on the other side of the campfire. Thomas needed to find a plan that would let him get up from the Charizard's legs while keeping it out of sight. The dragon pokémon was completely useless: He was looking down at his thing with widened eyes, but his body was not going to surrender just like that. As Thomas looked around to find a solution, he quickly glanced at Blue and Emmel to see if they had noticed anything. His eyes stopped dead on the spot and his jaw almost dropped to the ground. Blue had moved his hand on Emmel's rear and both pokémons were now openly engaged in a passionate kiss. The mouth to mouth contact was deeply unsettling, the huge and sharp-teethed maw of the Feraligatr looking like it was about to gulp down Emmel's entire face. The crocodile had been required to tilt his head sideways, just like Matthew had to with Thomas, but Blue's species made his mouth so large that Emmel's entire muzzle was in.

Thomas stared at them for far too long, both impressed and disgusted at the same time. Matthew missed all of it, because the Lucario's intense observation quickly drew attention. Emmel was the one facing in their direction, and he had to interrupt the kiss because he was giggling from Thomas' shock. Blue turned around and, seeing Matthew's face, he easily understood the cause of the Keldeo's hilarity.

"Something's wrong, friend?" He asked nonchalantly.

Thomas stuttered unintelligible words. Unfortunately, Matthew, who had still not removed his sight from his crotch, took the remark personally and completely lost it due to his shame. He bolted up, throwing Thomas away and therefore flashing his member for anyone around, before turning around and curling his tail over his embarrassing problem.

"By all mighty gods!" Exclaimed Blue. Honestly, it sounded like he was more surprised than offended, but he still had jumped up in reaction. Emmel stood up too, thinking that maybe he had had a vision, but Matthew remained turned around in a guilty manner.

A new center of attention appeared to the side of Thomas' eyes, and he lowered them mechanically until they stopped on the equine penis hanging flaccidly between Emmel's hind legs. It was of a darker shade than the cream-coloured fur covering the Keldeo's body, but even in the dim light it was very visible since it reached half the pokémon's leg length. Thomas pointed at it and turned his head sideways, acting like he had not stared naughtily.

"Emmel, your hum... thing is showing too." He said to try to save the Keldeo's modesty.

"Oh." Let out the devastated pokémon, immediately lying back down to hide everything under his body.

So now Thomas was looking at Matthew, who stood with his back turned in shame, while on the other side of the campfire Emmel was failing to find words of apology. Only Blue seemed unphased by everything.

"Well, what's the matter? Nothing wrong feeling a bit frisky, heh. And you even exchanged sights, everything's balanced. I'm not going to waste my night just for that!"

The Feraligatr sat back down next to Emmel, and he petted the Keldeo's red mane while addressing him a smile. Matthew hesitantly turned his head to look behind him, not relying on the Feraligatr's words to decide if everything was ok.

"I guess we're good," confirmed the legendary pokémon. "Sorry!"

"No, I'm sorry!" Returned the Charizard.

If his species could have blushed, he would have been more red than orange at that moment.

"No need to be, I think it's natural when you have such a handsome friend," complimented Emmel maliciously. It was Thomas' turn to have blood rush to his cheeks, and he laid his hands on his fur to dissipate the heat.

"Glad we're on the same page now," declared Blue, his hand running on Emmel's back before leaning further to his rump.

"I think so?" Tried Matthew hesitantly.

He turned around with his complex member still fully deployed, then sat in haste to limit the duration of the display.

Thomas kneeled to Matthew's side and hugged the Charizard's arm with his owns. He rested his head against Matthew's shoulder joint, and while he whispered loving words to the Charizard Thomas let his paws slide down progressively until they landed on the Charizard's erection. Two sets of eyes were openly staring at the move, and Thomas almost felt dizzy from how tensed he was. Matthew, looking at the sky to avoid the same stress, took in a deep breath when Thomas' soft paws reached his slick flesh. The first time he had been touched by the Lucario, he had been blown away by the feeling of the short black fur of the pokémon's hands. Of course it was easy to surpass the Charizard's own risky claws, but it still felt as incredible even to this day. Thomas also had, under the toes of his feet, pink paw pads made of leather-like skin. The contrast with the fur against Matthew's sensible flesh made it the most divine pleasure the Charizard had ever felt, but maybe they should keep it to hands for tonight. To be fair, that was already widely sufficient most of the time.

Thomas closed his grip on Matthew's member. The bright red muscle felt elastic to the touch, and Thomas loved to press on specific spots with the tip of his fingers to modify the streamlined shape. The Lucario's black fur wiped off the natural lubricant that came from inside Matthew's genital slit, so Thomas let saliva puddle in his mouth and dipped his fingers in it to replace the lost slippery substance. It tasted like the Charizard smelt, strong and dominant, and it made Thomas' head spin from desire. The Lucario felt his canine penis react immediately, and if he had looked down Thomas would have seen the dark red tip of his member poke out of his blue-furred sheath.

While those caresses progressed with sensuality, on the other side of the campfire the two spectators were not missing a second of the show. Feraligatr was petting Emmel's croup mindlessly, sometimes sending two fingers to brush the round anus of the equine pokémon in a teasing manner. Emmel moaned as a way to get more attention, setting aside his decency because he was too envious of the Charizard's luck. Blue finally obliged and joined his thumb and his index to push them in, making Emmel have to clench his teeth in pleasure. The giant Feraligatr knew how to use his fingers safely, by keeping the two claws aimed at each other so that it would be his knuckles pushing things around instead. As always it resulted in an intense stimulation directly from the start, but Emmel tried his best to keep his composure and only displayed a funny grimace. The Keldeo kept watching Matthew and Thomas with squinting eyes, bit lips and loud breathing through his nostrils, but eventually Emmel had to renounce to his pride and lowered his head. He set his muzzle against the ground of the clearing because he couldn't keep tension in his neck when Blue spread his fingers so mercilessly. It had been a long time but visibly the Feraligatr had forgotten nothing of the past, and he could still bring down the Keldeo shamefully quikly. Emmel groaned against the ground and exchanged drool for a mouthful of dirt, but even this tasted good when his elastic entrance got distended by the Feraligatr's scaled fingers.

Matthew grunted loudly from a wave of pleasure, but he caught one of Thomas' wrists and lifted off his paw to reduce the pressure of the masturbation. The Lucario was amused by his effect on a pokémon that much larger than him and after a giggle he kissed Matthew's shoulder, the highest spot he could reach. Thomas had still kept his other hand squeezing the Charizard's barbed glans, making Matthew clench his jaws with increasing intensity. This control over the dragon pokémon made Thomas a bit malicious, and he acted like he reduced the firmness of his grip only to double it when Matthew looked relieved. The Charizard cursed and rose on his short legs, pulling up Thomas in the move. Matthew closed his eyes and felt pleasure rise up to an unimaginable level, but Thomas was here again to stop his touches and it build up a heat that even the fire-type pokémon could barely contain.

While Thomas played with Matthew's limit, Emmel had lifted his rear in the air by standing on his hind legs only. The Keldeo's equine penis was already entirely erect and now the four-legged pokémon was contracting it by pulses, making it slap against his own belly each time it got pumped with blood. This was the only way for his species to get some pleasurable contact, since hooves were not quite up for the task. Emmel was in such an obscene pose because Blue had added a third finger to his regularly-paced insertions, and the Feraligatr was pushing their full length inside. Fortunately Emmel was a horse pokémon, so he had well-developed elastic muscles that could accommodate for that kind of volume spreading his round entrance, and his water-type also gave him a skin that could stretch to take the force of strong water streams. But there was no way to sustain the intense pleasure that resulted, as it came from within Emmel himself. The Keldeo had given up any control and Blue was devouring the occasion in its fullest, forcing the equine pokémon to slap his penis twice or even thrice each time the crocodile reinserted his fingers in him. Blue could just keep his three fingers at their deepest point, and the displaced muscles inside Emmel's body were shocking the Keldeo with jolts of immense pleasure. Each time he was filled by the Feraligatr's hard-scaled fingers Emmel neighed before the peak of stimulation rushed through his body, and then his flat equine tongue often licked the dirt in confusion due to the absolute bliss that followed.

Blue's unoccupied hand came to welcome the partially flared head of Emmel's equine member, and the Keldeo immediately gave it a strong thrust like his species did during mating. This contracted Emmel's thighs so much that the Feraligatr could see the short cream fur of his buttocks form dozens of little folds, the skin pulled together by the surge of tension. Blue closed his large scaled hand around the equine member's head and squeezed it, making Emmel roll up his lips and bite the ground with his front teeth from the pleasure-induced madness. The Keldeo started to thrust his hips repeatedly with barely controlled moves, until the crocodile's rough scales gave him too much caresses. Emmel's equine penis flared for good and the sudden doubling in size even spread the Feraligatr's strong grip squeezing it. Immediately the Keldeo ejaculated, releasing one large wave of sperm that squirted between Blue's fingers and rained down due to its low viscosity. Emmel's entire body jolted forward as he repeatedly tried to spear through the hand holding him back, getting out of breath from the frenetic efforts. He actually swallowed whatever dirt and grass he had in his mouth to take a precious gulp of fresh air, but even the sound of sand crunching between his teeth was only a minor detail in his state. Despite the intensity of his orgasm, Emmel released little more seed in Blue's hand, because horse pokémons emptied most of their reserves in the first shot. Blue opened his palm and let everything run down to the ground, and in the meantime Emmel's member lost its tension at a fast rate until it hanged flaccidly between his hind legs.

As the Keldeo collapsed back on the ground, Matthew's savage roar echoed in the night. Thomas had worked him too much, and he couldn't hold back anymore. His body clenched all at once and his member held forward by Thomas shot a trail of white semen, the substance being way more viscous than what Emmel's species produced. It landed on trampled grass and kept the shape of a line until it was covered by more, Thomas pushing the Charizard's orgasm by masturbating him with both hands. Matthew closed his claws and emptied his internal testicles shot after shot, creating long threads of slimy sperm that linked his barbed glans to the ground. Quickly he was too exhausted to contract his muscles and just stood with a blank stare, his last drops of semen leaking straight to the ground and forming a round puddle.

The Charizard sat down to regain his breath, and Thomas let Matthew's penis slip out of his paws with regrets. The Lucario had caught some of the thick hot substance in his palms, and it made an opaque stain on the black fur. Thomas licked them clean with his flat tongue, both because he loved Matthew's bitter taste and because, if left to dry, he knew that the Charizard's sperm was really not easy to clean. Speaking of the dragon pokémon, Matthew blinked a few times and let out a satisfied sigh, running a hand on his own chest to check if everything was back in order. "By the gods, Thomas," he murmured with progressive amazement. "That was incredible. You're incredible!" He added as he lifted up Thomas to hug him lovingly. The Lucario buried his head at the base of Matthew's neck, his happiness making him try to return the embrace while being far from the required size.

Matthew felt two hard things poke the soft scales of his torso. One was the steel spike from the Lucario's chest, of course. The other one, located a bit lower, was less usual but easy to guess for Matthew and his long experience in the subject. Thomas' canine penis was fitted with a bone that kept it straight, even while flaccid inside his sheath, but when the Lucario was affected by a needy erection it had the tendency to bump into many things. Indeed Matthew saw that Thomas' dark red shaft was out, and only his knot remained covered by the blue-furred sheath. The Charizard knew well that when Thomas reached that stage it meant that his body was ready to penetrate something.

"Wanna do the one where I'm on my back?" Proposed Matthew with an open smile.

Thanks to his long and agile neck, his face was only a centimetre away from the Lucario hugging his body. Thomas' excitement showed through his tail wagging crazily, a feat that always had amused Matthew and also served as a clear answer. The Charizard kissed Thomas' cold snout and gently returned him to the ground. Under the very intrigued sight of Emmel and the hungry smile of Blue, Matthew lied down in the grass that had already been flattened by all their steps. With lustful amusement, he made it so that they were giving a perfect profile view to their two spectators. In all honesty, the Charizard wanted to show off and he almost laughed from his own display of ego. Carrying on, he carefully deployed his wings so that his bodyweight wouldn't squash them, and then he straightened his neck all the way. His head, pointing up towards the dark sky, was resting on his two horns which were embedded in the soft ground in a comfortable manner. To finish he crossed his short arms on his chest to not flail them around and he lifted his flaming tail away from the grass, just to be really safe.

He was ready for Thomas, who also had undergone his preparation. The Lucario's was simpler: He had pulled out his uninflated knot from his sheath, and with his hand on the bottom of the bulged flesh he was holding his whole penis straight forward. He kneeled to align himself with the Charizard's head, his tail wag slowing down as he focused on walking on his knees to get in the right spot. Matthew, throwing his head backwards to begin his passive task, opened his mouth largely to offer a space without sharp fangs. Thomas had experience with the whole affair and stuck the thumb of his free hand in the joint of Matthew's jaws, making sure that they wouldn't close too much. The Charizard welcomed Thomas' member with his pointy tongue, and since he was a fire-type pokémon it immediately transmitted a lot of warmth through the wet surface of contact.

Thomas let out a long sigh of satisfaction and moved his member in with his grip on it. His shaft pushed up on Matthew's tongue since the Charizard was upside-down, and it got naturally redirected downwards by the soft and sticky muscle. This first entrance was always a delight for the Lucario, proven once again by his legs shaking. Thomas went all the way in, knot included, with still room to spare since his species' reproductive organ had not been made to fill a Charizard's mouth. Only his hand remained an obstacle by bumping against Matthew's nostrils, but he preferred to use it to aim where it felt the best, where the Charizard's tongue would rub on his tip with a soft resistance. Thomas pulled out to re-enter the warmth and wetness a second time, going in faster to feel more pleasure. With his hand it was an easy movement and he started to repeat it again and again, grunting from the delicious feeling provided passively by Matthew. That was why it was their favourite position; Thomas could do as he wished to obtain the best stimulation and no-one was at risk to get choked by the ideally-sized canine organ.

Matthew decided to close his mouth a little, because he knew that the hard scales around his lips would rub on the Lucario's dark red flesh with each movement. Thomas moaned loudly when he got in again, needing to push twice to get his knot in the now narrower opening. This triggered many wild instincts related to his species' mating process, and he abandoned the grip on his penis to hump Matthew's head instead. His freed hand went to hold the Charizard's chin steady, while with his hips he was thrusting upwards to get a lot of back and forth momentum. Matthew groaned from the rougher treatment and exhaled air against the ground from his nostrils since his mouth had gotten a lot less open. He uncrossed his arms and dug his claw into the soft dirt, trying to resist the inertia given to his straightened neck.

Thomas was now squirting pre-seminal liquid from the tip of his penis like all canine species did, each burst happening when he was all the way in and synced with a groan through his clenched teeth. The transparent substance joined Matthew's saliva and flowed at the top of the Charizard's mouth, making him take quick gulps since it increased in quantity quickly. Thomas crawled forward to deepen his penetrations and felt more resistance against his member, the surge of rewarding pleasure helping him keep the pace up. As a result Matthew's head was now in between his thighs, and the Lucario had to thrust almost straight down to keep his alignment. Fortunately his canine penis could bend like that without problem, an ability that made the obscene position completely enjoyable.

The Lucario's knot doubled in size in a matter of seconds and Thomas started to ejaculate with clenched teeth. His testicles, resting on Matthew's nostrils, contracted in pulses as he released his seed in multiples waves. It was a longer process than a Charizard's orgasm, but at least during it Thomas stopped thrusting and just kept his member the deeper he could. Matthew swallowed at the same pace, his long neck agitated by all the muscles involved in such an operation. The taste was not bad at all since the Lucario's sperm was so watery, and Matthew found it especially pleasant but that was maybe due to his strong involvement in the process. Thomas' entire penis had expanded, as it followed the natural mating process for his species, and it took some actual room now, so Matthew kept the side of his long jaws ajar to breathe in more deeply.

The Lucario's grip on Matthew's chin weakened and the pace of his ejaculation slowed down, Thomas now panting at a fast pace to try to regain his breath. His furred testicles would eventually stop their contractions after delivering all they had in stock, but since it usually went on for fifteen minutes they decided to cut it short to spare their public. Matthew playfully tried to suck back Thomas' member as he pulled out, earning a moan from the over-stimulated male before he stood up. A few droplets of fresh semen landed on Matthew's muzzle and forehead, forcing him to roll sideways to avoid the rest of the cloudy liquid. He did stay on all four so that he could lick Thomas' penis with devotion, the dazed Lucario keeping still with his hands on his hips. If not for his tongue being occupied, Matthew would have giggled with how much fun he had making exaggerated submissive poses like that. Of course he was still taller on all four that his shorter companion standing up, but fortunately Nature had gifted him an agile neck for that reason.

On the other side of the now dead campfire, Emmel had lied down on Blue's lap and showed full intent of sleeping there. The Feraligatr grumbled with annoyance but it couldn't be taken seriously since he took no actions against it. Instead he lied on his back and brought Emmel with him, his body large enough to serve as a mattress for the whole four-legged pokémon. The crocodile's rough scales were probably not the best material for such a use, but Thomas understood why it didn't matter for Emmel. Still he was happy to have a Charizard equipped with considerably softer scales, and he jumped on him to copy the others' embrace. Matthew returned the hug and moved them closer to the campfire, not for heat but to avoid a suspicious patch of wet grass.

Thomas fell asleep with the most truthful happiness he had ever felt, protected by the arms and wings that his lover had brought over him. Matthew shared equal happiness, but there was no way he could sleep. It was not because of fear from the future, not because he was scared of being pursued, but simply because there was an awful Lucario's chest spike poking him right in the base of the neck. Matthew sighed and closed his eyes, planning on throwing his better half away the second the Lucario would be completely asleep.